Sreymai - My Story People all over the world wish to have a beautiful life and grow up with happiness and Warm family ...but everything it's not like what we want or expect. Real life is sometimes too messy it is full of every emotion through it.

To tell someone about my life story it's very hard and made me feel sad and I did not want to be reminded about it .

For the past 22 years that I grow up away from my parents life goes through many things. I don't know much about my family or my parents but I still remember the last day I was abandoned in the orphanage center with 2 of my other siblings when I was 5 years old. It is hard to accept but we also cannot blame the fate that make our family live apart. Life without parents cannot be compared to the life with parents, even though living in the center has enough food, good accommodation, nice clothes, but we still lack love and are lonely.

But on this occasion, I really want to thank to the shelter (Unacas orphanage center) for providing me knowledge, good care, give us the opportunity to live comfortably like other children with parents. I have been living in Unacas since I was 5 years old during that time I'm still a little girl so I don't have to do as much work as the bigger kids... Living as orphans we have many tasks and responsibilities to complete. so we need to get up early to water the vegetables and come back, hurry to have breakfast and go to public school. After school finished we come back for lunch and take a nap for 1h then prepare to go to our garden to grow some vegetables and when we free from the garden we also do some handmade crafts like bath mat, beads bracelets, embroidered towels and pillowcases. Every evening after dinner we had English class for all the kids but different levels and also traditional dance class after we finish our English class....our day life seem to be very busy but we really happy and enjoy our living.

The president of the Center (Mom Sor Sakada ) She is a great leader and also a second mom who gives us so much love and warmth like her children. Unfortunately in Dec/30/2007 she pass a way, l was shocked and sad . I thought I would be hopeless and lonely again. Day after there was a new director come. He was young but looked strong and full of knowledge and we called him brother Bun Toksela. A years later everything was changed our unacas seem to be progress and there are many sponsors from YMCA from Singapore, Happy Tree form Hong Kong, and ACC (Australian Collaboration Cambodia) from Australian to support our orphanage. They help come to teach English and brought some food, clothes, school uniform, study materials, and everything need in Unacas. Not only support the many needs in the center, they also help our poor community in Cambodia by providing them with food and building houses for the homeless and also help in the shortage of public schools that we study, such as helping to repair rotten schools and old tables and painted walls to be new, especially they help the kids who finished high school to continue in University. A few years later in 2013 the end of the year I passed my high school and it was also a year that my new

director retired to live in the United States with his wife. He called all the grade 12 to come and told everyone that they need to move to city to study in University but except me and my other friend Lina because we still don't have a sponsor yet. Everyone come out with a happy face only my friend Lina and me came out with tears and heartbreak. An hour later he called me again and told me if I want to study in University I need to find your own school and pay by yourself and Unacas will support me some money for food and I can live with everyone in Unacas dorm. I did not say anything, just sat and listened to what he said with a broken heart and despair.

A few weeks later He and his wife leaves Cambodia and Brother young Seila Lead after him and my sister and my friend also find me a Scholarship school at CUP University so my friend and me we decided to move to the Unacas dorm to study scholarship in that school.

After we left the center to live in dorm, we realize that the bigger life, the more obstacles we face but we need to keep going struggling with difficulties and more patience. I have to get up at 5 o'clock and get ready for take an hour to 1hour and a half with my old bicycle when it is very congested because my school very far from the dorm. I'm sometime was tired and sick because my health not good at all. The most difficult we need to cook for ourselves when we get back from school not like when we stayed at Unacas just come back from school and the meal is ready for us. so we need to do everything ourselves. Time by time I keep hopefully that God will answer my prayer and for sure wait was not disappointing, He answered in the best possible way.

Until one day there was a big dinner party for the Unacas dormitory with Australian teams from (ACC) especially as we already knew pastor Chris who was best team leader from ACC he often lead teams to the center twice a year and provided many needs in Unacas, teach English for the kids and the staff and also repair tables, cabinets, chairs and repaint old walls for Unacas and our community too. and also help high school graduates to have opportunity to go to university like other children. At that time my friend told me we no need to go because the party was celebrate for the youth has sponsor from Australian only. I was very sad because I don't have a sponsor. Everyone who has sponsor from Australia look happy and smile.. some girl put make up with song and sing along.... an hour later Brother young Seila came he was the new leader for Unacas and dormitory he asked me why I'm not prepared

myself for the party?? and he told me everyone at to dorm must go.

After we get ready we arrived to the big restaurant in City. we have a great dinner, make friends and we can share our life to each others. our dinner seem to be more activity because it was a surprise birthday party for pastor Chris too. After sang a birthday song and wish for him. there was a middle-aged person came close to me and asked me my name? I replied him and ask him back ... I thought he might need something but couldn't speak Khmer , but he asked if he could talk to me a bit as an

adult ? And one of the people I was talking about is Mr. Peter Hingston. At first, I did not dare to say much with him, but when it came time to talk , I saw that he was a very respectable man, he looked polite, soft-spoken, and full of smiles. He asked me about my study and about my parents how I grow up and he shared about his family with me too. We talked for a while, then it was time to say goodbye to each other I went back to our accommodation. He also recently said that he and his family would like to support my studies.

It's really hard to describe how I felt at that time I felt excited, nervous and happy together. I came back home with smile and joyful and all my friends congratulations for what God has answer my prayer.

Over time, we have a good relationship and his family not only provides me, he also helps many others children who are in need too.His whole family showed a lot of love and good advice and always encourage me and give me the importance to make me feel that I can be brave and talk about the problems and hardships we face every day and share the joys and happiness we have.

During this time, I really appreciate and thankful for ACC (Australian Collaboration Cambodia) for keep support Unacas and Poor communities in Cambodia . And the special person I will never forget is (Mr.Peter Hingston) and his whole family for their love and precious time to the children of the district like us.

Since finishing at Unacas I have had experience working with children, Beauty Salon and now in a customer call centre. I have also been able to enjoy being part of a team helping in poor communities.